Travel is meant to transport you far from the same-old, same-old. But when you’re not eating the same foods and sleeping on the same schedule (or even in the same time zone), the ripple effects on digestion can be fierce. With more nerve cells than many parts of the central nervous system, including the spinal […]
The humble gallbladder
In the hierarchy of digestive organs, you might first list the stomach, liver, or colon. But there’s a pear-shaped sac tucked under your liver that barely gets a second thought: the lowly gallbladder. This small but mighty organ plays an important role in helping us digest food, but we often don’t acknowledge it unless something […]
Preventable liver disease is rising: What you eat — and avoid — counts
In today’s fast-paced world, our waking hours are filled with decisions — often surrounding what to eat. After a long day, dinner could well be fast food or takeout. While you may worry about the toll food choices take on your waistline or blood pressure, as a liver specialist, I also want to put fatty […]
A combination of healthy diets linked with longer life
Healthier eating leads to better health. But does it matter what kind of healthy eating plan you follow? Researchers looked at the effect of four healthy eating patterns on more than 120,000 people. The four patterns, all recommended by the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, were the Healthy Eating Index 2015, Alternate Mediterranean Diet, Healthful Plant-based […]
Problems with bloating? Watch your sodium intake
In the journals If you suffer from regular bloating after eating, you may want to check your sodium intake, suggests a study published in July 2019 in The American Journal of Gastroenterology . Scientists analyzed data from the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension–Sodium trial (DASH-Sodium) from two decades ago. The original study compared the DASH […]
Have a headache? The top 7 triggers
“Headaches aren’t welcome here” — that’s the sign you have hanging on your brain’s front door, but the pain is barging right in. You can chalk it up to stress from world events or something you ate or drank, and you might be right. But there are a number of common triggers for migraines, tension […]
Easy ways to shop for healthful, cost-conscious foods
Three months into the year is a good time to recalculate if you’ve been slacking on your resolution to eat healthy. And if you’ll be leaving home base or school soon and foraging for yourself (plus or minus roommates), it’s a great time to learn about healthy, low-cost choices for your grocery list. The basics: […]
Can celiac disease affect life expectancy?
Celiac disease (CD), triggered by the ingestion of gluten, occurs in people genetically predisposed to develop the chronic autoimmune condition. During the past few decades, doctors have learned much about how the disease develops, including genetic and other risk factors. However, results from studies on whether people with CD have an increased risk of premature […]
Feeling gassy — is it ever a cause for concern?
Everyone does it, but no one talks about it. No, not that topic — the fact that we pass gas every day. In fact, the average person produces between 1/2 and 1 liter of gas daily and passes gas about 10 to 20 times. Annoying? Well, sometimes. Embarrassing? Possibly. But is excess gas ever a […]
7 things you can do to prevent a stroke
Stroke prevention can start today. Protect yourself and avoid stroke, regardless of your age or family history. What can you do to prevent stroke? Age makes us more susceptible to having a stroke, as does having a mother, father, or other close relative who has had a stroke. You can’t reverse the years or change your […]